Knowledge sharing in Higher Education
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3.47 MB, PDF document
- PhD, Bangor Business School
Research areas
Abstract
The use of student group working has become prevalent within higher education, and is often adopted within the discipline of Business and Management where it has been recommended as an effective vehicle for the sharing and development of students' tacit and explicit knowledge. Within this thesis it is contended that a greater understanding of students' experiences and perceptions of knowledge sharing during group work will assist educators in designing pedagogic activities that enhance knowledge sharing, potentially increasing students' learning and attainment. Few scholars have investigated knowledge sharing amongst students during group work within the United Kingdom. Within this thesis, the field of knowledge management is adopted as a theoretical lens to explore knowledge sharing during group work amongst business and management students enrolled on taught programmes within Bangor Business School, Bangor University. The first study presents the results of a quantitative survey that explores the relationship between undergraduate and postgraduate students' interpersonal trust relationships and their willingness to share and use tacit knowledge during group work. The second study presents the results of focus groups undertaken with undergraduate and postgraduate students. The study focuses on exploring students' experiences and perceptions of interpersonal trust relationships, tacit knowledge sharing and group allocation methods during group work. The third study presents an action research project concerned with influencing explicit knowledge sharing and use amongst undergraduate students enrolled on a third year undergraduate Human Resource Management module. It presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a pedagogic activity intended to influence electronically mediated inter-group explicit knowledge sharing. Individually and as a composite, these three studies present insights into students' experiences and perceptions of knowledge sharing during group work. Based on the findings, a number of recommendations for educators, and the wider business and management community are offered, and opportunities for future research are highlighted.
Details
Original language | English |
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Award date | Jan 2015 |